The two major party candidates for the open state Senate race in the Saginaw Bay region debated education, the economy and data centers at a forum hosted by Saginaw Valley State University Tuesday night.
The May 5 special election will determine if the Michigan Democratic Party maintains its slim majority in the state Senate. The election is also being looked at as a bellwether for the November mid-term elections.
Republican Jason Tunney and Democrat Chedrick Greene took questions from moderators and voters at the event.
At one point, the two were at odds on gun control.
Greene, a Retired Sergeant Major in the Marines, said he supports "red flag" laws, which temporarily take guns away from those deemed a threat via a court order.
"I believe that if you are a menace to the society and it is deemed that way, that you should temporarily have your guns replaced,” Greene said.
Tunney responded by saying red flag laws violate a person's constitutional right to bear arms.
"But it sounds like Mr. Green said that he wants to, from Lansing, tell you how you keep your guns in your house, in your private property,” Tunney said. “How does he bridge that gap between HIPPA and a person's private mental health rights and their medical records with gun laws,” he added.
Greene insisted he supports safe gun storage laws. “I am a registered firearm owner," Greene said. "I make sure that my firearms are locked up. It's common sense.” he said.
They also provided different views on economic development. Tunney, a businessman and lawyer says the state needs to be more business friendly and cut regulations.
"You've got electricians down in Texas. They get their journeyman's card; they can't come up here. They've got to get totally re-licensed to become a journeyman electrician up here in this state," Tunney said.
Greene said he wants more emphasis on skilled trades in schools.
"We have to push more skilled trades into our high schools so those who aren't going to college can get an early start on their careers. We have to push more manufacturers to come up here," Greene said.
The eventual winner of the race will serve out the remaining seven months of former state Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet’s term. She resigned in early 2025 after winning a seat in Congress. The winner of the race will then have to run again on the November mid-term ballot in order to continue serving in the state Senate through 2030.
Greene said he would use the first few months in office to focus on the state budget and expressed openness to taking money from the state’s rainy-day fund to address an over $1 billion dollar shortfall. The rainy-day fund is the state savings account intended to help stabilize the budget during recessions.
“Pulling out of the rainy-day fund to help balance the budget would make sense,” he said.
Tunney disagreed with spending from the rainy-day fund. He called for budget cuts and a hiring freeze on certain state positions. He called for prioritizing spending on education, roads and public safety. “Everything else get in line behind those three,” Tunney said.
In his closing statement, Tunney called for more debates and public discussion on the issues with Greene in final weeks leading up to the special election.
A spokesperson for the Greene campaign told WCMU that if Tunney felt he missed an opportunity at the SVSU forum "that is not our campaign's concern."
Rick Brewer contributed reporting to this story.
